Machine for drying grain



(No Model.) 2 Sheets- Sheet 1.

L. V. MOULTON. MAGHINE FOR DRYING GRAIN.

Patented Nov. 13, 1888.

N. Finns. Pwmuwngnpmr. wnhmglan. uc.

. UNITED STATES PATENT OEEIEE..

LUTHER v. ivIoUL'roN, or GRAND RAPIDS, MICHIGAN..

MACHINE FOR DRYING GRAIN.

y SPECIFICATION forming partI of Letters Patent No. 288,357, dated November 11, 1883.

I Application led February 4,1882. Renewed March 24, 1883. (No model.)

To cL'ZZ whom. it may concern,.-

Be it known that I, L. V. MoUL'roN, a citizenof` the United States, residing at Grand Rapids, county of Kent, and State of Michigan, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Machines for Drying Grain and other Substances, of which the following is a speciication.

VMy invention relates to improvements in 1o machines for drying grain and other substances by means of steam and hbt air.

The obj eets and nature of my invention will more fully appear from the following description and claims, reference being had to the ac- I 5 companying drawings, inwhich- Figure l represents an irregular section on line x, Fig. 2; Fig. 2, a cross-section on line Fig. 1; Fig. 3, a section on line y, Fig. 1; Fig. 4, a cross-section ofthe rotary valve O on 2o v`the line z, Fi 1. F1' 5 represents a front elevation with pulleys 1t It removed and shafts H and I in section; Fig. (i, a perspective of pipes M N and valve O; Fig. 7, a detail view.

A represents the frame of the base, having a front cross-piece, A', with 'a concave lower face, which rests upon the convex face of block K, anda screw or screws, L, which are used to elevate or depress the rear end of the machine; B, the flooring, resting upon frame A 3o and supporting the case J', which covers the cylinder F. I

'G C are frames which support the journalboxes D E, in which the holltow bearings of cylinder F revolve, and the journal-boxes G,

in which the conveyer-shaft I and driving shaft H revolve. 4 The cylinder F consists of two outer heads, a, two innerheads, c, and a number of pipes,

- fg. The heads a are provided with hollow 4o journals b, which rest upon journal-boxes D and E, and suspend the cylinder within the ,casing AJ. The headsc are provided with ilanges, which are attached to heads cZ to form chambers d cZ', and with nipples e, to which pipes f are attached. Pipes f are of different sizes, and are placed 'parallel to and in contact with each other, as may be seen in Fig. 2, to form the walls of the shell or cylinder,which are provided with inner chambers or buckets,

5o f', for lifting the contents of the cylinder when the latter-is revolved. The interior of these buckets is provided with a lining, hi, .consist` ing of plates joined together at their edges, so that one or more can be removed when desired. The object of these plates is to prevent corn-meal, waste `from starch or glucose, or similar substances adhering to the pipe and being scorched, and to prevent iine particles from sifting between the pipes.

Located in-evcry chamber' or buckctf is a pipe, g, which passes through heads c. rlhese are provided with lock-nuts and serve as rods to bind or clamp the heads e and lpipes j' together, and also to heat any substance contained within the buckets. To cach of these pipes g is attached by means oi loose straps a pendent scraper, which removes any particles that may adhere to the walls ci the buckets. If desired, the Scrapers may be removed when any substance which will not adhere to the walls is being dried..

Chamber cZ is divided into, two compartments by means of a diaphragm or partition, j, and has curved plates k, arranged upon op- `posite sides of the diaphragm andcylinder. From the inner end of the diaphragm and guide-plates extend pipes Z, which connect chamber cZ with valve O. This valve is provided with an inner part orplug, m., which revolves with the cylinder, andan outer part or case, o, which is attached to the rear side of the back end ot' case J. The inner part or plug is provided with perforations at its front end, into which pipes Z are screwed and communicate with 'the interior, whichis divided into two compartments by a longitudinal partition, m', placed obliquely to the inner ends f of pipes Z, as shown in Fig. 3. The rear end of part m revolves in case o, and is provided with ports a, through which steam enters and water escapes.

Case o is provided with chambers p p and semicircular depressions, in which plug m revolves. Steam-inlet pipeM opens into the upper chamber, p, and exit-pipe N into the lower one, p. The plug m, as it revolves in part o, presents the ports a to the steam inlet and exit pipes alternately, so that steam can enter one ofthe compartments made by diaphragm m', and pass through pipe Z to chamber d, and

the water of condensation pass from chamber` ythecasing and cylinder. .and to the rear of the cylinder is an opening,

bent downwardly and under the case J to the groove in block K, from whichl they extend outwardly in opposite directions to steamgenerator pipeM and feed-water-heater pipe N. The pipes are seated looselyin the groove, so that when the rear end of the drier is elevated by means of the screw they will adjust themselves to the changed angle. lo facilitatethis movement,couplings m2 a? are used to connectpipes M and N to pipes lVI N.

Journal-box E is made in the form of a cylinder, closed at one end by means of a head, a, to which are attached a conveyer-trough, c, and j ournal-box G for shaft I. rIhe upper side oi' box E is cutaway at to permit grain being supplied to the conveyer. On the side of the box is an opening, u, (shown in dotted lines, Fig. 1,) in lwhich the air-exhaust pipe fw', Fig. 5, is inserted.

Attached to the front head, a., is a gear, y, (shown in section, Fig. 1,) meshing with pinion z, which revolves the cylinder when motion is imparted to its shaft H. This shaft is provided with a pulley, It, which communicates motion to asimilar pulley, It, on conveyer shaft Iby means of a belt, S. Upon the inner end of shaft I is a worm, Q, which feeds the substance to be dried from the trough to the cylinder.

Case J is provided at its front end with openings q, which may have registers placed therein for regulating the admission of air between In the bottom B r, for the dried grain to escape to a suitable vessel. vTo prevent the heated air from passing through this opening, a valve, O, supported by a spring, @which will allow the -valve to fall when a certain quantity of grain rests upon the latter, is placed in the opening 1. To guide the grain to this opening acone, P, is attached to part 'm and projects Ainto the cylinder. rIhe surface ot' the cone may be corrugated from the apex to the base at points inder, The cylinder,when revolving, elevates to correspond with the buckets, so that the grain falling from the latter will have a groove to guide it out of th'e cylinder.

rIhe operation is as follows: The machine is tilted to any desired angle by raising or lowering screw L, which elevates or lowers the rear end of the machine. The front? end of the latter adjusts itself to the variant angles by means of the concave surface of crosspiece A', which moves over the convex face of vblock K. Power is applied to shaft I-I, which sets cylinder F and conveyer Q to revolving. The substance to be dried is then placed in trough v, from which it is passed by the revolving conveyer Q to the revolving cylinder. It'falls into the lower buckets and gradually makes its way toward the rear end of the cylthelower buckets, from which the grain falls into the buckets which were formerly the upperv buckets. The grain near the rear end of the upper buckets strikes upon cone I? and falls into the chamber at the rear of the cylinder and passes through opening r when a sufficient quantity has been deposited upon valve s to overcome the pressure of spring t. rIhe pipes j'v are heated by steam admitted to chambers d d through pipes Z, valve O, and supply-pipe M. The water of condensation accumulates between partition j and curved plates K, and enters one of the pipes Zwhen that part o f the revolving cylinder to which it is attached lhas reached the point e in its upward movement, and passes into the lower division of part m and out into chamber p to exit-pipe N .l At the same time that the steam is supplied to the pipe air is drawn through openings q over the heated pipes, and through the cylinder to the exhaust-pipe opening w. The heated air enters the rear end of the cylinder, so that it will reach the grain which is dried most, and is drawn to the front end, where the grain enters. By giving the air this passage it mingles with the falling grain and conveys the moisture in the opposite direction to that in which the grain is moving, and prevents vapor from accumulating in the cylinder.

I am aware that cylinders have been made of coils of pipes with the coils touching each other and in `contact with the casing, but am not aware that an air-space communicating with the outer air and the interior of the cylinder has ever been formed. between the cylinder and casing'for the purpose of heating the drying, and that conveyers, cones, and

belts have been used to move the grain, and these I do not claim; but

Vhat I do claim is- 1. In a grain-drier, the combination, with a drying-cylinder having hollow walls, heated substantially as described, and open at both ends, of a jacket inclosing said cylinder, an

air-chamber between the jacket and the cylinder, and communicating with the outer air and with the interior of the cylinder, and a device for drawing the air from the cylinder, substantially as described.

IOO

IIO

2. In a grain-drier, a cylinder the shell of which is composed of lengths of pipes in contact with eachl other, and having bucketsV formed of pipes in contact with each other and with the pipes which form the shell, substantially as described.

V 3.'- In a drier, a cylinder having hollow heads, pipes forming the shell of its cylinder, and also pipes forming its buckets, and connecting the interior` of the heads, and pipes g, provided with nut-locks for holding .the heads and shell together, for the purpose set forth.

1l. In a grain-drier, the combination, with a base having screw L and cross-piece A, provided with a concave face, of a block, K, having a convex face, upon which the concave face of cross-piece A rests, for the purpose set forth.

6. The combination, with abase, A, having a easing, J, cross-piece A, and screw L, of block-K, having a groove upon one of its sides, and pipes M N, attached to casing J and resting in the groove in block'K, substantially as described.

7. The valve VO, consisting of case o and plug m, in combination with pipes M, N, and l, substantially as described.

8. The valve O, in combination wi th chamber d, vhaving diaphragm j and pipes Z, for, the purpose set forth.

9. The valve O, in combination With chamber d, having diaphragms jand curved platesk, substantially as described.

l0. A cylinder havingchanlbers d d', the former provided with partitions j, and a shell composed of pipe laid parallel to each other and connecting the heads, for the purpose set forth.

11. The lining h, in combination f, for the purpose set forth.

12. The scrapers i, in combination wi th pipes r/ and buckets f', substantially as described. LUTHER V. MOULTON. Vitncsses:

DENNIS L. Romans, JEREMIAH LYNCH.

with pipes 

